Winter Always Turns to Spring

As winter turns to spring, I feel time fleeting by. I remember persevering during the winter months, as difficult as that was. Each day, I found one small way to unwrap twisted yarns. With bereavement counseling and support from my therapist, I walked away from each session with a spirit of hope. 

Time is fleeting. It floats through peaks and valleys. Nature moves backwards, then forwards. The sunshine of spring turns to pounding rain today. Somehow, it is therapeutic as it roars and then subsides into the darkness of morning. Nature nurtures my soul. Winter turns to spring. In its magical space of sunshine covered over by the grey of rain, I find hope floating in the air. Grief comes and goes like fleeting time. 

I ponder how I can poetically explain grief as it pours itself over me on dark days that transform into spring's warmth. I lean on spiritual faith and the power of nature to nurture and restore my grieving soul.

This month's Poetry Sisters challenge seems to be an overwhelming project for me. As I write, feelings flash in my heart. Yet, I try to make sense of my ravelled thoughts to create an Ovillejos poem that asks us to write tight little bundles of poetry. Tanita S. Davis explains the format. I thank her for the #PoetryPals invitation and the lovely graphic she added above.

"This Spanish poem bundles ten lines, made up of 3 rhyming couplets interspersed with three verrry short lines, and a quatrain. The last line is a redondilla, a little round that collects all three short lines and casts off the poem, as it were."

FLEETING TIME (Format List)

1. How does time slip away each day? (8syllables)  

2..It finds a way. (short answer)

3. Does time have power over me? (8 syllables)
4. Love lasts. (short answer)
5. Is there a balm for every soul? (8 syllables)
6. To make us whole. (short answer)

7. hough grieving moments spike, fade, roll, (summaring quatrain starts. 

8. Fleeting hours drift, I don't stray. 

9. My heart endures with hope I pray. 

10. Find a way. Love lasts. Make me whole.

 

So "winter always turns to spring" is a phrase I shall remember. The words of Nichiren Daishonin remind me that difficult times, such as this winter, reminds me to persevere because there will always be days that lead to better, brighter moments. On the positive side of time, I add this quote by Sophia Dembling from Psychology Today's Personal Perspective, "Grief and the Passage of Time". 

"Time is our friend in that it is the only thing that can dull the sharp edge of grief, although it can't end our grief, which is forever."

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The Poetry Friday Roundup is a wonder of challenges today. Besides it being the end of the month Poetry Sisters' Challenge, our Poetry Friday host, Marcie Flinchum Atkins is celebrating twilight. Her newest book, When Twilight Comes, is coming out on March 31st. Teachers and librarians can find activity copies for the book at her blog site. 

Marcie also invited readers to send a favorite photo of twilight and/or write a poem to celebrate twilight with her. 

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I am also celebrating the opening of springtime with the Two Writing Teachers, a meeting place for a world of reflective teachers. 

Day 27 for #SOLSC26 Challenge

Morning Musings

This week, I mindfully opened the door to each new day. I listened to bird chatter, the drip-drop of rain falling upon the earth, or marveled at the sky's brightness. Morning awakened life daily. I was grateful to be a participant so I started searching for words of wisdom to honor the awakening of day. One of my favorite poets, Kahlil Gibran, reminded me, "for in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed."

Each day, I appreciate nature's daily orchestration starting with a morning welcome. While in the hospital in May, I felt restricted. There were no sounds of nature awakening me. Only the sounds of busy feet entering my room or the loudspeaker blaring its messages were heard. As a quiet onlooker, I often gazed out the window and pretended to hear nature's daily welcome. Time moved slowly then. Now that I am discharged from home care and in-house physical therapy, I look forward to opening the blinds in the great room and go outside to see what nature offers.

"Let your life lightly dance on the edges of Time like the dew on the tip of a life."

~Rabindranath Tagore

Pause

Morning awakens daily,

welcoming each new day of wonder.

In our complex, multi-tasked world,

Who will listen to birds chattering?

Who will pause to watch flowers grow?

Morning soars among the clouds

offering refreshing renewal and

an open invitation to slow down.

Be of good faith; find solace in nature to

peacefully walk the path of quietude.

Disregard the past for

"The beginning is always today." *

"And every dewdrop paints a bow."

draft ©CVarsalona, 2024

*1st Quote by Mary W. Shelley

2nd Quote by Lord Alfred Tennyson

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The Poetry Sisters, Tanita, Mary Lee, Tricia, Laura, and Liz, invited writers to write haiku want ads, a clever ideas that I once tried years ago.

 

#PoetryPals

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It's time to join the Poetry Friday Roundup hosted by the wonderful poet/author/librarian, Marcie Flinchum Atkins. Click here to read her blog post.

Growth on the Spiritual Journey

Springtime offers verdant landscapes with lush settings. It is a time of growth, rebirth, and rejuvenation as Earth reawakens from its winter slumber. The month of May opens the door to our Spiritual Journey host, Jone Rush MacCulloch's, theme on growth.

There is environmental growth and personal, self-growth. The digitized photo of a day with nature is shown below. I distinctly remember walking the grounds of Westbury Gardens, a Long Island historical site, with a euphoric feeling.  Nature was aglow. the grounds were manicured and the gardens blooming. 

What did I learn about springtime from this memorable day? 

• Walking in nature can become a ritual that helps boost energy while developing a positive mindset
• When the earth is blooming there is a sense of calm
• Quiet time helps to get to know yourself 
• Rather than attempting to reach the final draft of ourselves, we should find the courage to keep revising  -Susan David

News:

• I started an abracadabra, magic nine poem for my Poetry Parade Padlet. 
• I will add two wonderful artistic expressions sent via mail from Marcie Flinchum Atkins and Irene Latham. 
• Carol Labuzzetta mailed me her stunning book, Picture Perfect Poetry: An Anthology of Ekphrastic Poetry for Students. I am proud and honored to have three ekphrastic poems and another nature photograph published in her book

You can still send me your image poems or other offerings for the Poetry Parade Padlet, my National Poetry Month project.

Thank you, Jone Rush MacCulloch, for hosting Spiritual Journey with the May theme, growth, for our community of writers. I also thank Buffy Silverman, host of Poetry Friday, for her interesting science-literacy post. I plan on making the rounds this weekend.  

Holiday Poem Swap 2023

Holidays are a special time of year. There's Christmas, New Year's Eve, and New Year's Day. They bring joy and the spirit of "just being" with family. There's another holiday event that connects me to dear friends in the Poetry Friday community. It is the Holiday Poem Swap designed by Tabatha Yeatts. Each year, Tabatha creates a sparkling logo for chosen partners who exchange poems and a present. 

This year, I am delighted to partner with a hometown poet friend of mine, Janice Scully. Janice has a broad career background. Not only is she a writer and poet but followed in her mother's footsteps and chose nursing as her initial career. Then, she moved on to medical school and became a doctor. 

Janice's Holiday Poem Swap arrived with a lovely assortment of items to make me "most happy". The Christmas card was an artist's rendering of Christmas in the city that reminded me of holiday time in New York City. Her lovely poem, I'm Most Happy, is filled with imagery, rhyme, and a beautiful ending. Please see the poem below. Inside the card was a note about the handmade journal that Janice found in New Orleans. The journal is unique and has two envelope pockets on the first and last pages. It appears too pretty to write on but it will share many a thought and poem. I did not know that Janice sewed until recently. From different pieces of pink material, Janice stitched a lovely bookmark. This reminder of my own sewing days with my mother will be a keepsake and assistant while I read and write.

This swap present is a gift from the heart. After much thought, I decided to concentrate on my hometown of Syracuse where Janice resides in one of the suburbs. I did research about Salt City, read some of Janice's poems, found a news article about her family when she was young, and then created a slide show. Where did I start? I borrowed a line from Janice's poem, Begining, that became my strike line. "At the beginning is where everyone in the world begins." Her poem gave me the incentive to write a golden shovel memoir poem about my beginnings in Syracuse. With an enjambment, I ended my poem with "Life/Begins with trust and faith. I learned this in Syracuse". I moved on to historical photos of places that were memorable to me during my pre-teen years. The next slide showcased Janice's card to me with a poem I wrote for her about Christmas. Then, of course, I needed to write about Syracuse's snowy winters that can start in November and end at Easter. On the thank you slide, I shared a small poem in appreciation for Janice's lovely Holiday Poem Swap. I wrapped my thoughts around a memorable line from Janice's I 'm Most Happy poem. 

To Janice from Carol, Holiday 2023

🌲🌲🌲

swaps

personalized, artful

rich in content

hold dear to recipients

gifts

To Poetry Friday Friends from Carol, Holiday 2023

My one word for 2024 was unveiled on 1/4/24 for January's Spiritual Journey that Margaret Simon hosted. Click here.

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I am eager to join the Poetry Friday community at our host's Marcie Flinchum Atkin blog here. Marcie dazzles readers with her beautiful nature photography and accompanying haikus.

Exchange Is Creation

The flowers are in full bloom. Who would have thought that my gorgeous calla lilies would bless my garden with a rich color of magenta! A few years ago, I planted calla lilies; they never bloomed. How wonderful to have them lay dormant until this summer! I am grateful for this gift, as I am thankful for poetry friends who offer gifts of carefully chosen words from the heart. 

Once again, Tabatha Yeatts provides the opportunity to swap a poem with a fellow writer during the Summer 2023 Poem Swap. She also shared a quote by Muriel Rukeyser at the onset of the Summer 2022 Poem Swap. Exchange is creation. There is truth in this simple statement. Each poem swap or poetry blog is an artistic expression created from the heart. You will note this in the exchange with my poem swap partners this summer. 

My first exchange is with the talented Marcie Flinchum Atkins, a school librarian, Kidslit author, photographer, and poet. She is also a lover of nature and host of today's Poetry Friday. Stop by to see her gorgeous image poems and sign up to receive gifts of her Poetry Postcards.

Marcie's swap to me are wonderful additions to my garden.

She added a note: Here's hoping you can have a little poetry in your garden.

Did she know that I adore wildflowers and love to watch them bloom as colorful, delicate bouquets.?

wildflowers spring up

shake their pompoms at the crowds

celebrate the rains

©Marcie Flinchum Atkins 2023

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My Response to Marcie

wildflower seeds 

welcome water, sun, and love

whimsical bouquets

to enjoy during summer months

a grateful heart celebrates

©CVarsalona, 2023

🌞

Each month the Poetry Princesses, Tanita, Kelly, Liz, Sara, Mary Lee, Tricia, Laura, and Andi offer a poetry challenge. Since I did not have my offering last Friday, I am adding it to today's Poetry Friday. I love Celia Thaxter's poems so my response is based on one of her quotes. It is the strike line for my Golden Shovel poem, There shall be eternal summer in the grateful heart. 

Relax and Renew in Sunkissed Summer

Within deep relaxation, there

should be time for renewal. It shall

awaken your soul to just be

and linger in an eternal,

blissful summer.

Seek peace in

each living moment of the

season. Be thankful for all grateful

happenings that gladden the heart.

©CVarsalona, 2023

As one of the #PoetryPals, I am grateful that the Poetry Princesses include others in their challenge based on their year-long theme of transformation. I wrote the above poem to be aware that summer is the ideal season to find ways to be blissful rather than negative in this confusing world. Transformation of attitude can be a slow process but a rewarding one to look at life with a positive outlook.

🌞

Listen to This Song Will Make You Grateful For Your Life

for a boost of summer joy.

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Join Marcie Flinchum Atkins for today's Poetry Friday, a weekly gift of poetic goodness.

Thank you Linda Baie for this lovely image.

2023 Kidlit Progressive Poem Day 17

Welcome to the Kidlit Progressive Poem that was originally created by Irene Latham and is now organized by Margaret Simon. I have participated in this collaborative poem since 2016. 

This year Mary Lee Hahn kicked off the Progressive Poem with a request to "Write me a story that ends with sudden clarity." Now, mid-story, I  received the poem that adds a twist to the story from Linda Baie. I debated throughout the day on how I should continue the poem and finally decided on adding a bit of whimsy with a touch of reality.

Suddenly everything fell into place

like raindrops hitting soil and sinking in.

When morning first poked me, I'd wished it away

my mind in the mist, muddled, confused.

Was this a dream or reality, rousing my response?

The sun surged, urging me to join in its rising,

Rising like a crystal ball reflecting on morning dew.

I jumped out of bed, ready to explore the day.

My feet pull me outside and into the garden

Where lilies and bees weave...but wait! What's that?

A bevy of bunnies jart and dart and play in the clover. 

A dog barks and flash, the bunderstorm is over.

I breathe-brave, quiet. Like a seed,

as the day, foretold in my dream, ventured upon me. 

Sunbeams guided me to the gate overgrown with wisteria

where I spotted the note tied to the gate. (Linda Baie's line)

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My Line:

As I reached the gnarled gate, pollen floated like fairy dust into my face. Aaah Choo!

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I pass the poem to Marcie Atkins. Will she reveal the note or not?

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NPM 2023 Progressive Poem Calendar

April 1 Mary Lee Hahn, Another Year of Reading

April 2 Heidi Mordhorst, My Juicy Little Universe

April 3 Tabatha, The Opposite of Indifference

April 4 Buffy Silverman

April 5 Rose Cappelli, Imagine the Possibilities

April 6 Donna Smith, Mainely Write

April 7 Margaret Simon, Reflections on the Teche

April 8 Leigh Anne, A Day in the Life

April 9 Linda Mitchell, A Word Edgewise

April 10 Denise Krebs, Dare to Care

April 11 Emma Roller, Penguins and Poems

April 12 Dave Roller, Leap Of Dave 

April 13 Irene Latham Live You Poem 

April 14 Janice Scully, Salt City Verse

April 15 Jone Rush MacCulloch

April 16 Linda Baie TeacherDance

April 17 Carol Varsalona, Beyond LiteracyLink

April 18 Marcie Flinchum Atkins

April 19 Carol Labuzzetta at The Apples in My Orchard 

April 20 Cathy Hutter, Poeturescapes

April 21 Sarah Grace Tuttle at Sarah Grace Tuttle’s Blog, 

April 22 Marilyn Garcia

April 23 Catherine at Reading to the Core

April 24 Janet Fagal, hosted by Tabatha, The Opposite of Indifference

April 25 Ruth, There is no Such Thing as a God-Forsaken Town

April 26 Patricia J. Franz, Reverie

April 27 Theresa Gaughan, Theresa's Teaching Tidbits

April 28 Karin Fisher-Golton, Still in Awe Blog

April 29 Karen Eastlund, Karen’s Got a Blog

April 30 Michelle Kogan Illustration, Painting, and Writing

Reflecting on Springtime Joy

Spring adds new life and new joy to all that is.

-Jessica Harrelson

This year springtime brings fluctuating weather patterns and the burst of blooms earlier than expected. Tree-lined roads share their blossomed branches with passersby. Birds chirp, tweet, and spread their birdsong every morning.  Spring welcomes warmth, color, and the renewal of life.  

I cordially invite you to add your digital inspiration to

Springsations Gallery of Artistic Expressions.

The invitation with all information needed can be found HERE.

The deadline to offer original artistic expressions is April 30, 2023, the end of National Poetry Month.

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I extend a thank you to Bob Hamera and Matt F. Esenwine for contributing their original image poems to my Springsations Gallery of Artistic Expressions Padlet. Their digital artistic expressions will become part of the Springsations Gallery.

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 I also extend a thank you to Marcie Flinchum Atkins and Irene Latham for sending me a postcard for National Poetry Month.

Sent by Irene Latham with illustration by Melanie Mikecz

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Now it's time to stroll over to Jone MacCulloch's blog who is this week's Poetry Friday host. I am eager to visit her National Poetry Month project, Classic Found Poetry Palooza. There are interesting poems created from different classics.

Notes:

Please consider offering a poetic/digital artistic expression for Springsations Gallery. 

Please stop by my blog on April 17, 2023, Day 17 of this year's Progressive Poem will be at my blog.  I am looking forward to reading the line Linda Baie will add to the poem that she will pass on to me.